Johannesburg - Facebook posts and comments made by Wits SRC president Mcebo Dlamini regarding his admiration for German dictator Adolf Hitler are offensive and racist, the university's Vice-Chancellor and Principle Professor Adam Habib said on Tuesday.
Habib has referred Dlamini for investigation to see whether he should have disciplinary charges brought against him following comments on Facebook that he loved Hitler.
"They make disparaging remarks about various communities and assume a similar characteristic among all white people," Habib said in a statement.
"Disturbingly, they valorise a racist autocrat who was responsible for the murder of millions of people."
Unapologetic
Since his Facebook comments were made public, Dlamini has been unapologetic about his comments despite an outcry from the SA Union of Jewish Students, who are calling for him to be removed as SRC president.
Dlamini has explained that while he is not naive to the atrocities Hitler committed he believed the dictator was a great leader who was able to rally people behind him and who built up the German economy and infrastructure.
Habib said he had emailed Dlamini and asked him to account for his remarks but he had not yet received a response.
"In my email to the SRC President, I indicated that Wits strives to be a pluralistic institution and defends freedom of speech, even when this means allowing the expression of views that do not accord with our own views and values.
"However, we expect our officials to be circumspect in their utterances and to act within the values of the institution. This is a principle that applies to the SRC President and it has clearly been violated in this case."
News24
